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Dialogues en route

Just back from an extended weekend in D.C. proposed by a friend of mine arranged by a friend of mine. It was good to take a little trip Particularly that in no way involved allowing myself speculations about moving to the that place. To travel, but not to move. Just a little dream I have.

Who am I kidding? I hunger for moves as much as I hunger for falling for new places..

Le Pain Quotidien, Dupont Circle

It was one of the chattiest trips i had, starting from the moment I boarded the plane in Montgomery it began. I happened to be seated next to someone who was born and bred (except for a childhood stint in D.C.) in Alabama. He seemed to find silence somewhat impolite, or perhaps boring. There were a few awkward moments when I put my coastal Yank foot in my mouth with regards to perceptions of the South (none ill intended). The guy in the seat in front of us would occasionally chime in or nod his head in agreement to whatever was being said, but these two seemed in no way connected. I figured out that their chat must have started in the terminal.

Anyway, the chattiness continued after deboarding. From the first meal I had in D.C. at Le Pain Quotidien (Dupont Circle) where the Moroccan waiter thought I looked like his cousin & made some very good book suggestions, encouraging me to live my dream; to the hours spent with a charismatic, agreeable 4 year old who seems to have leadership qualities already twinkling out of young eyes, to the Ethiopian on the return flight who discussed with me the pros & cons of living in the States versus Ethiopia. There were many other dialogues wrapped into the weekend, mainly with people I knew from before, and were now reconnecting with.

The same thing could have happened going anywhere. But it didn’t. It hasn’t. It was to D.C., a highly transient and international community and a city which I had visited before, for periods of time under 72 hours, making this now the longest (just by the thread of a couple days) period I have spent in the capital.

I loved exploring the Smithsonian Institution. A few days is barely enough. I ate in the spacious cafe of the National Museum of the American Indian (which has a pretty creative food court) as well as wandered the beautiful floors of the building; explored the Botanical Garden & whizzed through the extremely crowded levels & exhibits of the Air and Space Museum. Due to endowments & government funding, the Smithsonian Museums do not charge admission & this is an educational complex to truly be appreciated. In the midst of the capital city, brimming with great restaurants, cultural attractions & historic architecture is this network of amazing museums which you can meander through & just enjoy or really take your time and absorb and learn.